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It’s a bird. . It’s a plane. . No! It’s Jesus Christ, Superman, Savior of the world! “Roll the stone away, Lazarus come out!” Commanded Jesus. Immediately Lazarus walked out from his rocky crypt pulling the grave clothes away from His face while taking a deep gulp of fresh air.

John 11: 45-48, “Many of the people who had come to visit Mary saw what Jesus did, and they believed in him. But some of them returned to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. So the Pharisees and the chief priests met with the Council and said, ‘What shall we do? Look at all the miracles this man is performing! If we let him go on in this way, everyone will believe in him, and the Roman authorities will take action and destroy our Temple and our nation!’”

Jesus Christ, Superman, had once again demonstrated His miraculous powers. Even Lazarus, being dead for four days, couldn’t stop Him from accomplishing His mission to show the world what He could do if only they would place their faith in Him.

All the people were astonished at His powers and celebrated Lazarus’ return from the dead. There were still those who loved the world and refused to believe that Jesus was the chosen Messiah. They wanted to control their own lives in this world. They didn’t need or want a Savior! They wanted to be in charge.

The power struggle that ensued, stirred the unseen wicked spiritual forces of Satan. They forced their thoughts into the minds of the Pharisees determined to put Jesus to death.

John 11: 46-52, “One of them, named Caiaphas, who was High Priest that year, said, ‘What fools you are! Don’t you realize that it is better for you to have one man die for the people, instead of having the whole nation destroyed?’ Actually, he did not say this of his own accord; rather, as he was High Priest that year, he was prophesying that Jesus was going to die for the Jewish people, and not only for them, but also to bring together into one body all the scattered people of God.”

The stage was set and the plot against Jesus thickened. Now Jesus Christ, Superman, would give His life so that all people would have the opportunity to believe in Him and be saved from a lost and fallen world of darkness and evil.

Lazarus’ miraculous recovery changed from that of victory to one of secrecy and hiding. Now Jesus could no longer speak in the temple. Satan’s desire was to defeat Him and bring an end to Jesus’ teaching of truth.

Just the same, Jesus had more work to do in order to convince the world why they needed Him. He had to teach His disciples how believing in Him would help them to see through the darkness that Satan placed into every man’s life.

Jesus had to become the beacon of light that would shine brightly throughout the entire world and fill the hearts of God’s children with the wonder working power of the Holy Spirit. To believe in Jesus is to unleash the greatest power man has ever known.

The inner voice of the Holy Spirit would teach them the rules to the game of life. A voice of good that changes people and makes them radiant love and reflect a Spirit of purity that spurs others to desire what they have.

The Passover Festival was about to begin and Jesus had no choice but to go to Jerusalem. He did not go in secret this time, instead He road as a humble servant of God on the foal of a donkey.

The celebration that filled Jerusalem compelled all people to grab palm branches and cast their cloaks onto the ground. Jesus came in victory displaying before all people that God’s way is better than how men perceived the Messiah would come.

God desired for Jesus to be a soldier who would never fight a man made war. Jesus was a Savior that would go beyond this world and fight against the spiritual forces of the unseen heavenly kingdom. He would be the mediator for all people who would ask Him for help so they could fight the ultimate war found in the game of life.

Each person who was born a man would be given a task that went beyond an earthly battle. It was a war that took place in the minds of men. A war of Satan coming up against an equal force of godly men who would fight the human battles with faith and love.

John 15: 12-14, “My commandment is this: love one another, just as I love you. The greatest love a person can have for his friends is to give his life for them. And you are my friends if you do what I command you.”

Now the world and how people live in the world is radically different. We are now God’s soldiers doing battle against every bad thing that happens in the world. We carry our crosses just like Jesus and we fight against the plagues of the world found in illnesses, like cancer.

We are unleashed into the world so we can show people we are not even afraid to die. Death has no fear over us because we believe that this world is temporary. Our faith in Jesus Christ gives us the ability to hold in our arms children who have aids. Even when the child is sweating from the fever that has engulfed his body releasing the toxins that put the disease into his tiny body in the first place and exposing us to the disease.

Believing in Jesus’ supernatural power brings healing and miracles into our life so we can stand strong as a warriors determined to love the homeless and the drug addicts of the world. We are not afraid!

We don’t judge the weaknesses found in every man because we love our neighbors as ourselves. When we give to others we understand that the suffering that person is going through could be us. Having this knowledge allows us to forgive and live our lives just how Christ lived as a humble servant. A servant who was just as susceptible to suffering as anyone else.

John 15: 18-21, “‘If the world hates you, just remember that it has hated me first. If you belonged to the world, then the world would love you as its own. But I chose you from the world, and you do not belong to it; that is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you: “No slave is greater than his master.” If they persecuted me, they will persecute you too; if they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours too. But they will do all this to you because you are mine; for they do not know the one who sent me.’”

Suddenly the greatest game that will ever be played takes form, revealing to man the truth over the condition of the world. Anyone who fights for God will suffer persecution just as Jesus. For our fight is against more than man. Our fight is with the spiritual forces of evil and its desire to force all men to live in the world for Satan!

From the very first sin of Adam, a game formed. When Adam and Eve desired to become like God they forced all men into the valley of the biggest decision they would ever make. A life game that was geared to teach them the difference between right and wrong. In order for truth to be revealed all people had to be presented with a choice that would lead to a test.

Satan represented the wrong choices. Evil found in greed, sexual immorality, sickness, death, the desire for power, thinking evil about others, war, poverty, murder, and injustices of all kinds. God is the opposite from Satan revealing the value of being a servant. Showing us that love is better than hate. Giving is better that receiving and abiding by goodness is the ultimate goal for each person’s life.

Jesus brought a new light of understanding before all people. His truth about how the world works gives power to an individuals life so they can stand up against evil and win the world for good.

Lazarus rose from the grave so Jesus could prove to us that we can have the same power over death. Death was Satan’s control over people, but life is what we receive when we stop thinking like weak human beings and believe in the miracle working power that is available to all those who place their faith in Christ.

Jesus Christ Superman, was the ultimate Savior of the world. His message was that of love. His goal was to give His life so others would have the power to conquer the world game of life for God and good. Our reward is an eternity in heaven!

To be a miracle working Superman is to believe in the unseen and to know that our lives are more than the physical and concrete of our present day world. We must take up whatever cross of suffering we must bear and believe with faith that we can win our individual game for Jesus Christ.

Linda C Dipman author of THE GAME OF LIFE IT’S ALMOST OVER http://outskirtspress.com/gameoflife presents: AND HIS LOVE SHONE DOWN my true life story! It describes all the persecutions I endured. Lovinghandsministry.com

It’s a bird. . It’s a plane. . No! It’s Jesus Christ, Superman, Savior of the world! Jesus proved, not only to be powerful and miraculous, but all-knowing, filling the hearts of those who listened with hope.

Jesus Christ, Superman, went all over Galilee teaching and preaching in the synagogues and telling everyone the good news of how to be saved. He opened the eyes of the blind and many others began to hear for the very first time. The paralyzed walked again and those who had many incurable diseases were healed.

People possessed by evil spirits would throw themselves down at Jesus’ feet and proclaim that He was the holy lamb of God. Everyone paid attention wondering if Jesus was the Messiah, but Jesus would not tell anyone who He was.

People came from all parts of the world just to listen to His words of hope. It was as though every word had a purpose that revealed a truth that was simple, but so very hard to grasp by people who were lost in a world filled with so much evil and darkness.

Jesus’ words penetrated the thoughts of all those who listened. Jesus spoke as if He knew more than the Pharisees. He spoke as one who had an appointed authority to tell people the real truth about why they were here in the first place.

Jesus Christ Superman provided evidence that He was more than a man. He could tell stories that opened up people’s minds to their chosen destiny and parables that revealed God’s purpose behind each of their lives.

Luke 6: 32-34, “If you love only the people who love you, why should you receive a blessing? Even sinners love those who love them! And if you do good only to those who do good to you, why should you receive a blessing? Even sinners do that ! And if you lend only to those from whom you hope to get it back, why should you receive a blessing? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount!”

The words that Jesus spoke reached into a person’s soul and helped them to think differently about things that happened to them. It made them care, even when the Laws of Moses told them to practice an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. Jesus helped them to overcome evil with forgiveness and love.

Luke 6:35&36, “No! Love your enemies and do good to them; lend and expect nothing back. You will then have a great reward, and you will be sons of the Most High God. For he is good to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful just as your Father is merciful.”

Suddenly people began to see the people who took advantage of them in a different light. They could let go of their grudges and love their ungrateful children. They could give to others without demanding that they had to get something from them in return.

Luke 6: 37&38, “Do not judge others, and God will not judge you; do not condemn others, and God will not condemn you; forgive others, and God will forgive you. Give to others, and God will give to you. Indeed, you will receive a full measure, a generous helping, poured into your hands-all that you can hold. The measure you use for others is the one that God will use for you.”

Every word that Jesus spoke uplifted the hearer and gave them hope. No longer did they have to judge those who did them wrong. This gave them the freedom to love family members who did not conform to what the Jewish Laws demanded. It gave them the freedom to love the Romans who ruled over them. It filled their hearts with hope, knowing that God saw their suffering and would give back to them everything that was taken from them.

Jesus made them see their world differently. He helped them to believe that everything bad that could and would happen to them had a purpose and God would reward them for their pain.

Luke 9: 23-25, “And he said to them all, ‘If anyone wants to come with me, he must forget himself, take up his cross every day, and follow me. For whoever wants to save his own life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. Will a person gain anything if he wins the whole world but is himself lost or defeated? Of course not!’”

Jesus made the people see that their was more to their world than living their lives according to the teaching of the Pharisees. He helped them to see their own individual fight rather as an opportunity to show compassion and love.

He revealed to them a world game where they only won when they chose to do God’s will. Do not judge! Love your neighbor as yourself. When you do this you fulfill all the Laws of Moses.

The people hung on every word that came from His mouth. His words changed how they saw their world and made them determined to do it Jesus’ way. Now they could love and not feel ashamed. Now they could forgive those who took advantage of them. Now they could stop trying to keep up with their neighbors.

All they had to do was place their faith in Jesus. They didn’t have to conform to the standards of the world or the teachings given to them by the Pharisees. All they had to do was follow Jesus and trust Him with their lives.

Luke 21:34, “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighted down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth. Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”

Jesus Christ Superman was the Savior of the World. Following Him would take every ounce of strength. But when they placed their faith in Jesus they had the power to overcome the greatest world game of them all!

Fight for Jesus! Fight for the side of love and God. Fight for truth and understand that everything bad that natural comes to people will pass and victory will be reward to those who stand their ground and fight for Jesus Christ, Superman, the Savior of the World.

Linda C Dipman author of THE GAME OF LIFE IT’S ALMOST OVER http://outskirtspress.com/gameoflife presents: AND HIS LOVE SHONE DOWN my true life story! It describes all the persecutions I endured. Lovinghandsministry.com

It’s a bird. . It’s a plane. . No! It’s Jesus Christ, Superman, Savior of the world! Peter was shaking and crying without even realizing what he was doing, he denied Jesus three times!

He thought he would be able to stand up to the pain and the suffering he saw Jesus going through and Be A Man! Wasn’t he a fisherman who was use to the difficulties of a grueling trade that demanded strength and determination.

John looked at Peter as this large muscle framed man ran from the court yard in defeat. Both had seen the intensity of hatred that was perpetrated against Jesus. Both knew that Jesus’ words concerning His death were about to be fulfilled and they could do nothing but watch it take place.

The helplessness of that moment facilitated them into seeing how impossible it was to follow God on their own. Even with all the miracles they saw Jesus perform, they lacked the strength of determination they needed to hold their ground when it could lead to imminent death.

All those who loved Jesus and knew his miracle working power abandoned Him. Jesus stood alone with no support as Pilate began the process of putting Him to death by taking Him through a mock up of a trial that was completely prejudice against Him.

John 18: 35-38, “Pilate replied, ‘Do you think I am a Jew? It was your own people and the chief priests who handed you over to me. What have you done.’
Jesus said, ‘My kingdom does not belong to this world; if my kingdom belonged to this world, my followers would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish authorities. No, my kingdom does not belong here!’
So Pilate asked him, ‘Are you a king, then?’
Jesus answered, ‘You say that I am a king. I was born and came into the world for this one purpose, to speak about the truth. Whoever belongs to the truth listens to me.’
‘And what is truth?’ Pilate asked.”

Pilate was in a cloud of darkness because he had no faith in an unseen God. He was the governor of the providence of Jerusalem. He had no understanding of the Jews except that Jesus was a so-called God and this was against their faith. He had been told about the miracles this man preformed. Yet all he could see was just a man.

Even if Jesus had explained to Him how the game of life worked, Pilate would not have seen any purpose in the game. He was a powerful, influential, rich man. He didn’t need Jesus as his Savior. All he wanted was the Jewish religious leaders to leave him alone and allow him to rule in peace.

Pilate had Jesus flogged. The soldiers put a crown of thorns on his head and a purple robe. They slapped Him and mocked Him.

John 19:7-11, “The crowd answered back, ‘We have a law that says he ought to die, because he claimed to be the Son of God’
When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid. He went back into the palace and asked Jesus, ‘Where do you come from’
But Jesus did not answer. Pilate said to him, ‘You will not speak to me? Remember, I have the authority to set you free and also to have you crucified’
Jesus answered, ‘You have authority over me only because it was given to you by God. So the man who handed me over to you is guilty of a worse sin.’”

A new dawn began with a truth that is only understood by those who follow Jesus. The truth that God is in control of the world game of life. God allows suffering when the suffering serves a purpose.

Jesus came to be the Savior of the world. He suffered and died for our sins so we might have an easier path to God. The Laws condemned people, but the crucifixion freed people and gave them the supernatural gift of the Holy Spirit.

Why did my spouse abandon me? Why did my friend die? Why do bad things happen to good people? Why do I have cancer?

All of these questions can be answered when we look at life in the perspective of a game of good versus evil.

We are not alone we have a divine purpose. We are appointed to lives that are flawed so we might fight battles for God on every evil front. If you were a child of incest or abused by a parent, you break the chain of abuse with Jesus Christ as your Savior. He gives you the power to remember your suffering and gives you the ability to not repeat the abuse to your own child.

If you’re born into poverty and homelessness, Jesus gives you the ability to help those who suffered like you suffered. If you were falsely accused and jailed for a crime you didn’t commit, Jesus takes what you learned about the cruelties of our justice system and helps you to be a crusader to change the system.

Everything you go through when you are a child of God leads you down paths of righteousness that put you into situations so you will stand up to evil and change it. To know the truth about life is to fight for God.

We are not suppose to be pulled into a lifestyle because we can’t change the people around us. We are suppose to do what is right and stand our ground with God’s help.

Above the cross of Jesus was a sign that stated, Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews. The words were written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek.

John 20: 29&30, “A bowl was there, full of cheap wine; so a sponge was soaked in the wine, put on a stalk of hyssop, and lifted up to his lips. Jesus drank the wine and said, ‘It is finished!’
Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.”

Jesus died for our sins so we might have the ability to call on Him immediately when bad things happen to us. His death started the beginning to a new game of life that equips God’s servants with the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit of truth.

Jesus Christ, Superman, Savior of the World, took the Laws of Moses that demanded a sacrifice for sin and replaced it with a simple request. Please forgive me for my sins! Please help me for I am lost!

Please open my eyes so I might see the truth so I can overcome what is wrong with my life. Please help me to stand up to those who abuse me and not be pulled into repeating the abuse.

Peter ran away the day that Jesus was condemned because he was a weak human man. Later equipped with the Holy Spirit, Peter was a different man. A man who stood up to the Roman government and taught all people, who would listen, how to be saved.

Peter became a Superman, because Jesus Christ came to him in Spirit form and helped him to stand up to the persecution he faced because he trusted God with his life. When Peter was old he died on a cross just like Jesus, except he died upside down believing that he was not worthy to die in the same fashion as his Savior. He stood up to evil and his death was a victory for God.

Jesus Christ, Superman, was like every man except He refused to allow fear to keep Him from accomplishing His mission. Fight for God and pick up your cross and follow Jesus Christ, Superman, the Savior of the World!

Linda C Dipman author of THE GAME OF LIFE IT’S ALMOST OVER http://outskirtspress.com/gameoflife presents: AND HIS LOVE SHONE DOWN my true life story! It describes all the persecutions I endured. Lovinghandsministry.com

The beautiful rays of the sunset dimmed and darkness began to blacken the night sky. Clouds crept slowly in blocking the moon and the stars. All at once what once was filled with beautiful light was now animated with the expectancy of a fierce storm.

It was as if the night had a plan to go on the hunt for those who were carefree and secure in their worldly life. Unsuspecting people who thought they were safe and secure in the lives they created for themselves. People who lived for pleasure and did what was necessary to get what they wanted no matter who it might hurt.

A shutter of dread crept into my mind as I realized I was seeing a vision more horrible than any one person could imagine. An image of how Satan comes into a person’s life and takes away their faith in God.

God used the night as an illustration of how Satan comes into a persons life and little by little dims the truth given by the Spirit that was once so bright. He does this by pulling that person into living in the world for what it has to offer. Using people to give them what they want. And taking what they want from others through deceit and manipulation.

I am an upholster by trade. I have done this for over thirty years, but it is only my form of work. It is not my life! My true identity is my faith in a living God. A God of supernatural ability. A God who defines me from the Spirit of good He placed in my heart that leads me down paths of light.

A God of truth that parts the darkness of clouds that surrounds most people’s lives and sets my mind to understanding so I won’t fall into the traps that are set to devour the simple minded of the world. Temptations that pull at every person who doesn’t hold onto the teachings of Christ found in the Bible and the inner voice of the Holy Spirit.

Because of the Spirit, God placed in me, I am different from the people of the world. I am easily taken advantage of because I give generously. I love freely, but most of the time the love I give is not returned. I give away my upholstery work to help others live more comfortably, but I am seldom repaid for the good I give. Yet I never give up no matter what others do to me, because I am a soldier of Christ.

Galatians 5:16&17, “What I say is this: let the Spirit direct your lives, and you will not satisfy the desires of the human nature. For what our human nature wants is opposed to what the Spirit wants, and what the Spirit wants is opposed to what our human nature wants. These two are enemies, and this means that you cannot do what you want to do.”

This is the reason so many people of the world are darkened in their minds over right and wrong. When God is not holding your hand and leading you through the world then you are being led by your human nature.

Human nature desires for us to take care of ourselves. It fights for what we want others to give us without us having to do the work. It deceives us with desires that are greater than integrity and honesty. We covet; and greed becomes so great that love becomes useless and dead.

Galatians 5:19-21, “What human nature does is quite plain. It shows itself in immoral, filthy, and indecent actions; in worship of idols and witchcraft. People become enemies and they fight; they become jealous, angry, and ambitious. They separate into parties and groups; they are envious, get drunk, have orgies, and do other things like these. I warn you now as I have before: those who do these things will not possess the Kingdom of God”

The biggest pull that Satan has in a person’s life is how he can manipulate a person into going out and partying for the sake of having fun. Fun that makes drinking a game of how much you can hold without throwing up. And once drunk, how free you become with what is acceptable like smoking, taking drugs or having sex with multiple people.

Satan uses medications and drugs in order to pull at our desires and take away our ability to exercise self control. This is the reason that many young women and men have accidental children. Children who are born of lust and not into a loving strong household built with God’s protection of marriage. Children are born, who are destined to follow in the footsteps of their adulterous parents.

It is as if a tiny cloud that was once insignificant suddenly became engorged and spread like a gigantic earth scattering storm. Weather that was created from one small step in the wrong direction and then another step was taken and another until that person’s life was so totally caught up in the world that his soul was lost to God forever.

A child born out of wed lock tests the parents. It reveals to all people what kind of heart they have. If the parents are good then they take the challenge of the child and change their lives in order to provide a good life for their child. But if the heart of the parents are about their human desires and how they just want to have fun, then the child is not important and others are placed in charge.

A Grandmother becomes responsible for the child that was born of their son’s desires, because she won’t allow her child to take responsibility for his mistakes. As a result the child becomes a pond in the hands of parents who use the child as leverage to get what they want from the grandmother. Once Satan has a firm hold in the care of the child all people involved, stop loving each other, because of the cruelty involved with taking care of the unwanted birth.

This is the cloud of deception that comes in and blocks out any truth that God has to give a person who is in trouble. They begin to think only of themselves and give no thought of how to help others. This happens because Satan has made such a wreck out of their live that all hope has been diminished and dread has replaced long suffering with hate for what their lives have become.

When our minds have become completely clouded from the sin that surrounds our lives, then our existence becomes an acceptable norm. We begin to envy those who seem to be living good lives. And in our effort to survive our lives we take what is theirs. We don’t work for it ourselves! We use others for our own personal gain.

Galatians 5: 22-26, “But the Spirit produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility, and self-control. There is no law against such things as these. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have put to death their human nature with all its passions and desires. The Spirit has given us life; he must also control our lives. We must not be proud or irritate one another or be jealous of one another.”

Wisdom comes to those who dedicate themselves to God and allow Him to influence their lives. They follow the teachings handed down in the Bible. They learn from their past mistakes. They let God help them to understand what they did wrong. And once God is completely back in control, He awakens their desire for their lost love and fills their hearts with hope giving them a way out of their present life.

Like I said I am defined by my faith. I am not defined by how much money I have. I am defined by how I forgive those who use me. I am defined by how I love no matter what people do to me. I am defined by the Holy Spirit who refuses to allow me to become darkened by the clouds of deception that make me hate those who use me for their own personal gain.

Jesus Christ came to bring light into the world. He suffered and died so we would have an easier path to forgiveness. He rose again so we would have hope that anything we do wrong in this world can be overcome if we will only place our faith in Him and trust Him with our life.

Linda C Dipman author of THE GAME OF LIFE IT’S ALMOST OVER http://outskirtspress.com/gameoflife presents: AND HIS LOVE SHONE DOWN my true life story! It describes all the persecutions I endured. Lovinghandsministry.com

Why aren’t you in heaven yet?

The only reason we remain on earth is to serve god
Ever wondered why, once you became a Christian, God has left you here? Why he hasn’t taken you to heaven?
The reason is clear. The Bible tells us we are left here for a reason. Knowing where we are going, knowing of our divine-set appointment in heaven, we are meantime to do God’s work down here.

Consider the story of a Christian woman named Rebecca O’Connor. When she first saw the horrific images of the 2005 Asian tsunami disaster, she was working the night shift at New York Presbyterian hospital, where she is a pediatric nurse. She said she felt compelled to do something.

And O’Connor did do something. She flew to Sri Lanka, along with eight other medical professionals, for a two-week medical-relief trip.

Arriving in Sri Lanka, they traveled through 150 miles of destruction before arriving in a downtown area that had been completely devastated. Setting up their clinic in a downtown Sri Lankan mosque, they saw 40 to 100 patients every shift. Respiratory problems and foot and leg wounds caused by stepping on debris when wading through water were the most common ailments treated.
O’Connor and the others soon discovered they were less than a mile away from a local hospital and another large clinic. She questioned a Sri Lankan friend, “Why are people coming to us?”

The friend said, “Because at the hospital someone asks, Name? Age? Complaint? and then gives them a sheet of paper and tells them to go wait somewhere. You sit them down, ask them what’s wrong and treat them. You listen to them.”

Rebecca O’Connor summed it up: “It seemed that the most valuable therapy we were providing had nothing to do with antibiotics or wound care. By listening to story after heartbreaking story, admiring pictures of families once happy and healthy, and playing soccer with children who lost everything, we were able to say, We care about you, and we share in your grief without speaking a word.”

See how this principle works?

Like Rebecca O’Connor, are you willing to risk everything, to live boldly as one privileged, charged and empowered to represent Jesus Christ, knowing you have a divine-set appointment?

When God keeps that divine set appointment with us in heaven, Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:10 that we will appear - that ALL MUST appear - before the judgment seat of Christ.

Now there is a lot of confusion about that place.
Judgment seat translates into Greek as bema, which in its simplest definition means a raised platform reached by steps. In the Greek culture that Paul wrote from and to, bema referred to the elevated platform on which victorious athletes received their crowns even as we say today in the Olympic games.

In the New Testament, it was used as the judgment seat of Pilate - of Herod. There was even a bema in Corinth where unbelieving Jews unsuccessfully accused Paul before the Roman governor Gallio.

So a person brought before a bema was to have their deeds examined for the purpose of recognizing and punishing wrongdoing or rewarding some achievement.
And that’s what the Bible means, too.

Unbelievers, those who don’t follow Christ, will have their sins exposed and be punished before the judgment seat of Christ. The Bible clearly, all too clearly, tells us that.

There will be, it says, much wailing and gnashing of teeth at the bema for, says the Bible, the fate of non-believers is eternal damnation in hell - everlasting punishment for sins which will be exposed by God’s penetrating justice.

Now Christians will also go before the bema. But Christian believers will NOT be judged for sin at the judgment seat of Christ. Why? Because our sins were dealt with at the cross. Jesus, our very judge, paid for those sins with his blood. They are gone, Blotted out, Forgotten. Paid for.

So what will happen to us at that judgment seat?
The full truth about our lives, our character and actions as a Christian will be made clear to each believer. Each one of us will discover the real verdict on our ministry, our service, our motives. All hypocrisy and pretense will be stripped away.

As Samuel 16:7 says, “God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearances, but God looks at the heart.”

The writer of Hebrews put it this way: “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”

That’s another part of our divine appointment.
The things we did with shallow, self-serving motives will not please God. That’s the bad Paul refers to - stuff that means or counts for nothing, things which may not be sinful per se but things which had no eternal value, like working our way up the corporate ladder, earning all sorts of degrees, accumulating wealth, getting better at golf - morally neutral things. The things so many of us spend so much of our time pursing.

The things that are considered “good” at that bema, that judgment seat, are the things we do that DO HAVE eternal value, things done with a motive to glorify God. That’s the divine ordained allegiance we are to do to bring him glory by our lives.

At that judgment seat, we will be rewarded for those deeds - deeds good and pure and pleasing to God. We don’t know what those rewards may be… other than, glorious. But they await us.

That is a certainty.

The author is publisher of the Online Christian Shopper (http://www.onlinechristianshopper.com) Christian clothing and jewelry Web portal.

Even though I can remember talking to the Holy Spirit as a child, when I became older and thought about talking to God, what came to mind was: “Who am I to think that I can talk to God?” But the truth is, who was I not to? Who are YOU not to?

When we think, “Who am I to talk to God?” we deny ourselves a relationship with God and the Holy Spirit. Even though the thought may cross our minds, “who am I to think that I can talk to the Holy Spirit?” it is important to remember that it is just a thought. It’s just something that arises within your mind when you entertain the thought of connecting with God or the Holy Spirit.

There are lots of thoughts that arise just like that: “Talking to the Holy Spirit is impossible. Talking to the Holy Spirit is something that only special or very pious people can do. Talking to the Holy Spirit is something that takes years and years of hard work and devotion to accomplish.” All of these thoughts are untrue and keep you from connecting with the Holy Spirit in your life.

When you begin to think about talking to God and hearing His Voice, become aware of what thoughts come to mind. If you become afraid at the thought of talking to God, that just means that a thought has arisen within your mind that caused you to become fearful. A fear thought could be as simple as, “I’ll never be able to hear the Holy Spirit.” It could be a thought that says, “I’m not worthy of talking to God. God would never talk to me.” It could be, “Look at all the things that I have said and done. Why would God bother with me?”

Allow yourself to become aware of the thoughts that arise within you when you contemplate joining with God in dialogue. Do your best to notice those thoughts, emotions, or beliefs as lovingly and kindly as you can. They are just thoughts that arise. They are not the truth. They are not a reflection of you. They’re just thoughts that arise, these little flea bites that distract you for a moment. When you notice them for what they really are and respond to them with truth, love, and kindness, you are free to continue to focus on your connection with God instead.

Let’s say you have the thought: “Who am I to think that I can talk to God?” You can then remember: “Oh yeah, who am I NOT to? It’s my job to be connected with God and the Holy Spirit. That is my job. That is all God and the Holy Spirit would ask of me. Who am I not to?”
Or you have the thought: “Why would God want to talk to me?” You can respond, “Because God created me and God only sees my perfection. God wants nothing more than to talk with me through the Holy Spirit.”

“I’m not worthy. I’ve done these things, said these things, or thought these things. I’m not worthy to talk to God,” and you remind yourself, “God just loves. God wants to be in communication with me.”

Whatever thoughts arise, allow yourself to respond to them with Love and Truth. You know the truth in your heart. You know that God only loves you and wants to be in communication with you. So when you have the thought: “Oh, I’ve done these things or said these things. God does not want to communicate with me” you can remember, “Actually, God only loves me,” and continue to move past that thought or move on from that bug bite. Allow yourself to continue to move in the direction of connecting with God in the Holy Spirit. It’s as if you are maneuvering your way around these little distractions or obstacles, the little thoughts that arise, but you respond lovingly to them and remain on the pathway to God.

There is nothing that can stop you from connecting with God. There is nothing that can keep you from your Creator. Even if you’re not sure how to respond with the truth to a thought that arises, just remind yourself, “Nothing can keep me from God,” and continue to move along on that path.

Since it is only a thought that can keep you from hearing God’s Voice, let yourself notice what thoughts have arisen in the past few minutes. Make note of the thoughts that sound familiar or the thoughts that have come to your mind and allow yourself in the next few days to continue to become more and more aware of what thoughts come up when you think about talking with God and the Holy Spirit. Really look at each thought and allow a truthful response to each one to come to you so that you know no matter what thought arises, there is nothing that can keep you from having a relationship with God and God’s Voice in your life. Focus on this in the next few days and find out how much more connected you feel to God and the Holy Spirit in doing so.

DavidPaul Doyle has been sharing the Holy Spirit for the past 12 years. Watch his inspiring flash movie at http://www.thevoiceforgod.com to learn how to access your God’s voice within you with confidence and clarity. For more info, visit http://www.thevoiceforlove.com.

By now, you’ve probably heard about the best-selling book called “The Secret.” This book is also in a DVD and Audio CD format… It’s huge right now!

The concept is, by using this “secret,” which is “The Law of Attraction,” you can create anything you want in your life: more money, a bigger house, more business, a new mate, literally anything you want!

While “The Secret” has many truths in it, I personally disagree with the notion that a person can have just anything. The reason is… because we were born with different strengths skills, talents, and abilities.

God made us all unique, with a purpose, and with a certain mission. It really isn’t “all about us!”

There are a few major things I certainly disagree with concerning “The Secret” but, I do believe in the “Law of Attraction!” Here’s why… Jesus said, “All things are possible to him who believes” (Mark 9:23)!

What is “believing?” It’s a manner of thought!

The “Law of Attraction” basically says, “What you think about the most becomes your reality” or, “Thoughts become things!”

Here is another biblical reference pointing to this fact: “As a man Thinks, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7)!

If you read my newsletter every week (and I’m sure you do, right?), you know that I write a lot about how important our thinking is!

What we think about most flows out of our lives! Proverbs 4:23 says, “Guard your heart with all diligence for out of it flow the issues of life.”

While the teachers of “The Secret” have some contradictory ideas to the Word of God, there is some good that can be used. It’s just like life, there’s good and bad. We must guard our hearts and choose the GOOD!

The Law of Attraction is good and bad! It depends on how we use it. But, how can we use it unless we know how it works?

This universal law is one of the laws we really need to understand!

Scientists have proven over and over that universal laws are always working!

For example, the universal Law of Gravity is always working. You drop a brick… It hits the ground very quickly (watch out for your foot)! It doesn’t matter if you believe in the Law of Gravity, it still applies!

Just like the Law of Gravity is always working, so is the Law of Attraction! The Law of Attraction largely determines what we get out of life. It has been working for, or against us since we were born.

If you are, or are not getting the things you really and truly desire out of life, I challenge you to consider what you are thinking about most of the time!

Daniel N. Brown is an entrepreneur and teacher of biblical success principles. Get his FREE Report, “Christian Prosperity Secrets” when you sign up for his FREE weekly newsletter. http://www.SecretPlaceOnline.com